Under the Harvest Moon
by CaughtInMy'Imagination
Summary: When Harry returns to Hogwarts, a class project infuses him with a student; one he never expected to feel this way about before. As their relationship evolves and they become more entwined with one another, it becomes clear that bad things are headed their way. Slash/ Drarry/ Sexual Content in Later Chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** After the battle in Deathly Hallows, Harry and Ron didn't return to Hogwarts. I know that. But, in order for the plot of this fic to work out, I had to make a few exceptions. I'm sorry if anything in this fic contradicts anything you've heard or read elsewhere. There might also be some OOC-ness in certain characters. Anyway, enjoy the fic! :)

~L~

Disclaimer: I can assure you that Harry Potter does not belong to me. Ha, I wish!

Summary: When Harry returns to Hogwarts, a class project infuses him with a student; one he never expected to feel this way about before. As their relationship evolves and they become more entwined with one another, it becomes clear that bad things are headed their way.

Slash. Drarry ensues. Rated M for sexual content in the later chapters.

_**Under the Harvest Moon by Carl Sandburg**_

_Under the harvest moon,_

_When the soft silver_

_Drips shimmering_

_Over the garden nights,_

_Death, the gray mocker,_

_Comes and whispers to you_

_As a beautiful friend_

_Who remembers._

_Under the summer roses_

_When the flagrant crimson_

_Lurks in the dusk_

_Of the wild red leaves,_

_Love, with little hands,_

_Comes and touches you_

_With a thousand memories,_

_And asks you_

_Beautiful, unanswerable questions._

It was dark. Although Harry's eyes were wide open, he still could not see anything other than a plethora of misty darkness that filled the room he found himself in. Slowly and cautiously, Harry sat up and gently felt the ground surrounding him. It was rough, and appeared to be built up of many small, thin, brittle things. It felt, to Harry, like a collection of autumnal leaves who, as their time had come, drifted gently and gracefully to the ground, where they had made their new home. Harry tried desperately to remember where he had been just a second ago before he wound up in this vast place, but nothing sprang to mind. _So how have I managed to end up here? Where is 'here' anyway?_ All Harry could recall was an emotion; one so strong that it engulfed him entirely. Fear.

"Hello?" Harry called softly, although he knew it was no use. He was alone. He could sense it. Suddenly, a quiet but distressed voice filled the room. It sounded to Harry as if it were coming from afar. "Please wake up," it said desperately. It sounded like a male; a young adult male. The words he spoke were bursting at the seams with emotion. Harry felt pity to whoever these words belonged to.

"Who's there?" Harry asked hopelessly, now springing to his feet in order to try and find the source of the mysterious voice. The leaves covering the floor crushed and crumbled under his heavy steps.

"I miss you. I need you here with me," the voice said once more, now breaking as if on the verge of tears.

"Who are you? Who are you talking to?" Harry replied, though he was fairly certain the person couldn't hear him.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. _

The sound of leaves compressed under feet filled Harry's ears, although he was standing quite still. Someone was approaching Harry, with increasingly rapid pace.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

Harry stood rooted to the spot as fear engulfed him once more.

"Who's there?" he called to the mysterious approaching figure, blinded to Harry by the darkness.

"Remember," a soft voice called, although entirely different to the earlier male. _It must belong to whoever is coming towards me,_ Harry thought to himself.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, his voice growing louder in an attempt to cover up the tones of fear laced within his words.

"Remember!" the voice called once more, and Harry was suddenly overcome with a flood of remembrance. He collapsed to the floor and cradled his head in his hands as the memories came rushing back to him.

Harry lounged lazily with his head in his hands in the Potions classroom as Professor Slughorn babbled on about an obscure healing potion. Harry had tuned out Slughorn's voice for the last ten minutes. He couldn't wait to get out of this classroom for good.

"Right, class. This week, we'll be doing paired projects," Slughorn said merrily. Harry sighed as he realised he would be alone, as Ron and Hermione would probably work together. Since they became boyfriend and girlfriend, they were practically inseparable.

"You will study a potion of your own choice with your partner. You will look at the ingredients, brewing method, effects, uses, and also you will knock up a batch yourselves. Also, I will choose your partners for you." At this, the whole class let out a sigh of disappointment. Mutters of anger spread though out the classroom. "Listen! Listen!" Slughorn called and the whispers died down. He began to read out a number of student's names. Ron was paired with Seamus, and Hermione - much to her dismay - was paired with Pansy Parkinson. Harry eagerly awaited his partner. Finally, Slughorn called out his name. "Harry Potter?" Harry raised his hand and Slughorn nodded in recognition. "You'll be with Draco Malfoy."

If Harry was paired with Draco a few years ago, he would have been very disappointed and angry due to Draco's dubious nature. However, ever since the student's return to Hogwarts, there was something... _different_ about him. He no longer went out of his way to tease Harry and his friends. He no longer made snide remarks or rude comments. In fact, he just kept out of Harry's way. Harry wasn't really sure of the reasoning behind this, but he suspected it had something to do with his father being locked up in Azkaban and, with Voldemort being defeated, the pressures of following his family and being a Dark Wizard eased. Anyway, Harry couldn't exactly complain. The boy who once tormented and irritated him an obscenely large amount now simply avoided him unless contact was necessary.

As the lesson ended, Harry made his way out of the classroom, and felt a nudge on his back. He turned to see Draco standing right behind him. "Potter. A word?" he asked. Harry nodded and followed him to an empty corner just outside the potions classroom. "I want a good mark for this project, Potter. Maybe I'm not your ideal partner for this. But Slughorn has put us together, and we can't do much to change that." Harry had to admit, he was somewhat surprised at Draco's determination. All of the years before, Harry had assumed that Draco did not care about his class work. Clearly, though, a lot had changed for him since the Battle of Hogwarts, just as it had for Harry himself. He had no intentions of causing a scene and refusing to work with Draco. That would only open up old wounds; wounds that were slowly healing. Harry had no intention of doing that.

"I want a good mark just as much as you do, Malfoy," Harry replied.

"I think we should get a head start on the project. Slytherin common room after dinner tonight?" Draco asked.

"I'll be there," Harry said, and he turned to catch up with Ron and Hermione.

The day went by rather quickly, and dinner was soon ready. Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall. Ever since potions earlier, Hermione hadn't stopped complaining about her project with Pansy. "It's not her company that I'm dreading," Hermione explained as they sat eating their dinner. "It's just that I don't think she's going to put in the effort, and I'm going to have to do it all myself."

"Well, Hermione, to be honest, I think you could easily do this project by yourself. You don't _need_ Pansy's help for it," Ron interjected.

"Yes, Ron, but I don't want Pansy getting a better mark than she deserves! It's unfair," Hermione replied.

"Well, don't make the project very good then, and Pansy won't get a good mark!" Ron suggested.

"Then _I_ won't get a very good mark! Gosh, Ronald, you don't think things through, do you?" Hermione replied with a hint of anger in her voice. Ron rolled his eyes and turned to face Harry.

"Girls, eh? I don't think we'll ever understand them," he said, earning an angry glance from Hermione. Harry nodded in agreement. Things weren't going at all well for him in the aspect of girls.

In fact, after the Battle of Hogwarts, things hadn't gone at all well with Ginny. She expected Harry to simply come running back to her in a loving and passionate embrace, but Harry didn't quite feel the same anymore. Whenever he looked at her, he didn't feel the love he once felt. He still loved her, of course, but now it was more like a brotherly love. All of the previous emotions of love had simply vanished. Harry didn't quite know why his feelings had gone, but he suspected that it had something to do with being away from Ginny for all of those months. Nothing happened between them after the Great Battle, and Harry quite wanted to keep it that way. Ginny, however, wasn't quite on the same wavelength. Harry was immediately snapped out of his trance by the very girl herself, who had come to sit next to Harry on the dining table.

"Hello, Harry," Ginny said happily as she sat down and began picking at her food. Harry could have sworn that there was an almost flirtatious tone in her voice.

"Hi there," Harry replied unenthusiastically, scraping the remains of food onto his fork. He glanced over at the Slytherin table to see Draco rising alone to leave. He decided it was time to go, too. Putting his knife and fork down and picking up his book bag from under the table, he abruptly announced that he had to leave and took off after Draco.

Harry quietly followed the blonde to the entry of the Slytherin common room. He was eerily reminded of his sixth year, during which he frequently followed Draco in order to find out what he was doing. That had all ended abruptly, however, when Harry used the 'sectumsempra' spell on Draco, causing more injury than Harry had wished upon him. He shook the memories away and decided to announce himself as he did not know the password and didn't particularly want to be locked out.

"Malfoy?" Harry said loudly so that the other boy could hear him. Draco stopped and turned around to see Harry standing a distance away from him.

"Have you been following me, Potter?" Draco asked, a mocking tone to his voice.

"I didn't know the password," Harry explained. Draco quickly tilted his head to the side as if to say '_follow me'_. Harry picked up his pace and caught up with the blonde as they stood in front of a seemingly normal dungeon wall. However, Harry knew from his second-year visit that this was no ordinary wall.

"_Black Mamba_," Draco said clearly, and a passage swiftly appeared in the wall in front of them both. Draco made his way through first and Harry followed closely.

As Harry reached the Slytherin common room, he knew something was wrong. Little groups of people sat dotted around; some older students, and some younger ones. They appeared to be happily chatting or getting on with their work. However, as soon as Harry stepped through the entrance, many stopped what they were doing and glared right at Harry. He felt his face flush with all of the unwanted attention. Harry immediately realised why they were glaring at him in such a malicious way. Many of their parents, family members or friends had probably been put in Azkaban when Voldemort was defeated. Some might have even been killed in the Great Battle. They lost their family or friends because of the boy standing in the middle of their common room at this precise moment. Harry felt exposed, embarrassed, and suddenly rather queasy. He wanted nothing more than to leave and return back to the comfort of the Gryffindor common room.

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" one younger student asked angrily, pointing in Harry's direction.

"He's with me, Daresworth. Mind your own business," Draco snapped back at him. Harry was suddenly filled with a sense of appreciation and admiration for Draco. He turned to face Harry, and said in a hushed tone "Come on. Let's go to my room. Something tells me we wouldn't get much work done down here." Harry nodded in agreement and followed Draco up a narrow staircase until they reached a wooden door. Draco opened it to reveal a regularly large room containing two beds embellished in green sheets. In between the beds was a rather large, wooden wardrobe, which seemed to match the wood of the bed frames. Next to each of the two beds was a small chest of drawers, once again adorned in wood that matched the beds and the wardrobes. It was spacious for a two-person room.

"Who shares this room with you?" Harry asked Draco inquisitively.

"Blaise, usually. He'll be out tonight, though, so you don't have to worry about him," Draco explained. Harry nodded as he walked around the room, taking a close look at the furniture. He glanced out of the window next to the bed Draco now sat atop. The grey exterior of the lower levels on the opposite side to Hogwarts was visible. _That's probably because the Slytherin common room's in the dungeons on the bottom floor, _Harry thought to himself. He was suddenly glad that the Gryffindor common room was situated where it was. Not much light made it into Slytherin, and it was also cold and damp; completely the opposite to the cosy warmth of Gryffindor.

"This is my bed. You can sit on Blaise's," Draco said, gesturing towards the bed sat next to his own.

"Are you sure Blaise will be okay with that?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"Probably not. But I won't tell him if you don't," Draco said, a menacing tone lacing his words. Harry smirked as he sat atop the other bed. Draco immediately rose, and knelt down to reach under his bed. He pulled out a relatively large, black trunk, fastened together with a large, metal padlock. Draco pulled his wand out of his pocket, pointed it at the lock and muttered the words "_S__era __d__imittere_." Immediately, the lock disappeared, and Draco lifted the box open. Inside, Harry could see, were many bottles of Firewhiskey.

"You do realise those are banned in school?" Harry said in a surprised tone. Draco merely shrugged and pulled out a bottle, holding it in Harry's direction. "You want one?" he asked casually. Harry's instincts were telling him not to take it. If he got caught, he could be in serious trouble. Besides, he had only had Firewhiskey a couple of times, and they were a while ago. What if he didn't like it anymore? Then again, Ron insisted that he drink it more often. Draco looked at him inquisitively. Harry knew he had to make a decision hastily. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, he reached forwards and took it from Draco's grasp. He popped the lid open, and took a sip. Harry cringed slightly at the fire-like sensation as he swallowed it. However, he had to admit, it did leave a sort-of warm feeling afterwards, and Harry liked it. Draco lifted a bottle for himself, replaced the box and sat atop the bed once more.

"So... Potions..." Harry said indifferently.

"I was thinking we should do a potion called Wiggenweld Potion. It acts as an antidote to certain potions, and is used more commonly as a healing potion..." As Draco began to speak, Harry felt himself zone out. The more Firewhiskey he drank, the more difficult it became to carry on listening to Draco talk about potions, as he lost concentration and became distracted by various other things. Soon, Harry had become overtaken by boredom. He couldn't listen to Draco any longer. Filled with the courage the Firewhiskey had given him, he decided to speak out.

"Look, Malfoy, I'm sorry, but I can't concentrate. Maybe we should start tomorrow or something," Harry said apologetically. Draco laughed.

"I knew I shouldn't have given you that Firewhiskey, Potter. It has a tendency to give people the courage to announce things they wouldn't have said previously." Harry smiled to himself. Something inside Harry told him that the time spent in Draco's room wasn't going to be so bad after all.

They ended up talking about all sorts of things - Quiddich; lessons; people. Harry never knew that Draco had made such good company. Come to think of it, Harry had never had a proper conversation with him. He felt bad for judging Draco before properly talking to him, as the night had proved that all of his previous assumptions about Draco being a thoroughly nasty person had been wrong, and he seemed like a genuinely decent person. And as time went on, Harry drank more and more of Draco's Firewhiskey. He was filled with more courage to break down social barriers, and became more willing to ask questions that never even crossed his mind before. And, by his third bottle, Harry had plucked up the courage to ask Draco the question that had been crossing his mind the entire evening.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked as he lay on Blaise's bed staring at the ceiling, an empty bottle of firewhiskey gripped tightly in his hand.

"Potter?" Draco said in reply. He was clearly more used to Firewhiskey than Harry, so it had less of an effect on him. He still seemed to talk with natural flair, and his tone was certainly not as uneven as Harry's.

"I was just wondering... Why were you such a jerk?" Harry said, and Draco let out a surprised laugh.

"No, no, no, I'm being serious. Tonight you've been so... Well, nice to me. Why did you act like a git before when deep down, you're a decent guy?" Harry asked. This time, Draco replied with silence. After a couple of seconds, Harry sensed something was wrong. "Malfoy?" he asked, turning on his side to look at him. Draco now sat on the side of his bed, looking at the floor, his face as hard as stone. Harry couldn't quite tell his emotions.

"Malfoy?" he said again, this time softer. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that." Still, no change from Draco. Harry knew that somehow he'd offended him. The Firewhiskey in his system gave him the friendliness and courage that he hadn't had previously, and before he really knew what he was doing, he made his way over to the blonde boy and knelt in front of him so they were face to face. Draco now looked up from his lap and gave Harry a look as if to say _What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?_

"Draco," Harry said firmly, looking him in the eye. At this, Draco's expression softened into a subtle look of surprise, and Harry realised that it was the first time he had called Draco by his first name. However, it was still obvious that Harry's question had caused some outlet of emotions in him, even if he couldn't tell what emotions they were. Harry now decided to sit beside Draco on his bed. Draco seemed to stiffen uncomfortably as Harry took a seat next to him, but he didn't ask Harry to move. Harry assumed that Draco wasn't really used to being this close to others.

"You know, I got you all wrong. I thought I had you all sorted out, but I was so wrong. You seem... Well, nicer than before. You seem..." Harry paused, and decided it was better not to finish that sentence. Draco was looking at Harry with a mixture of confusion, surprise and amusement on his face. Harry looked back at Draco, and his eyes couldn't help but wander to the clock situated on the wall next to Draco's bed. "Bloody hell, Malfoy!" Harry said, springing off of Draco's bed and rapidly gathering his belongings together.

"What? What's wrong?" Draco replied.

"What's wrong? I should have been in bed an hour ago, that's what's bloody wrong! Oh, _god_, I'm gonna get in so much trouble for this!" Harry took a deep breath, calming himself down before turning to leave the room.

"I'll see you out," Draco said, jumping up off of his bed and opening the door to his room. He crept out and down the narrow staircase into the common room, where he quickly scanned the room to see if anyone else was there. Luckily, it was empty, so he made his way to the exit. Before leaving, Harry turned to Draco and mouthed a quick 'Thanks' which was returned with a brief nod, as if to say 'You're welcome'.

As soon as he left the Slytherin common room, Harry reached inside his bag to see if he, by some stroke of luck, had left his cloak of invisibility in there. To Harry's relief, it was folded at the bottom of the bag. He wrapped it around himself as he made his way over to the Gryffindor common room. Before arriving, he took off the cloak and replaced it in his bag. He told the Fat Lady the password, and she swung open rather fractiously due to being woken up. Harry crept up the stairs to his dorm, hoping Ron was asleep so he would avoid questioning. Unfortunately, his hopes were thoroughly let down, and Ron was wide awake and perched eagerly on the end of his bed as Harry returned.

"Harry! Were you with Malfoy all of this time? How was it? What were you doing?" Ron whispered to Harry as he made his way to his own bed.

"Leave it, Ron. I'll explain tomorrow. I want to sleep now," Harry said evasively before quickly changing into his pyjamas and slipping into bed. Before he drifted off to sleep, he inwardly smiled at the thought of making a new friend in Draco. _Who would have thought?_ Harry said to himself as sleep swept over him once more.

End of Chapter 1

**A/N:** I've had a bad experience with reviewing that has left me, frankly, a nervous wreck. It took a lot of courage for me to post this! So please, don't leave any horrible reviews. I like constructive criticism comments, but please keep nasty things to yourself. It would be much appreciated :) anyway, thanks for reading; I'd love to read your reviews! I understand not much has happened yet, but it will all pick up soon. Next chapter should be up shortly!

~L~


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed, favourited and followed this fic! I'm a little surprised that people actually like this, and you've all done wonders to boost my morale. I honestly love you all! Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter 2. I know everything went a bit slowly in chapter 1, but it was necessary to the storyline. Hopefully everything will start to kick off from now on. Thanks for bearing with me, and more notes at the end!

~L~

Disclaimer: I can confirm that Harry Potter is not mine. My life would be awesome if it was, but sadly, it doesn't, so my life remains spectacularly boring.

Harry awoke the next morning with a slight banging sensation in his head. As he slowly sat up, he suddenly realised what had happened last night and inwardly groaned. The memories of his words to Draco rushed back, and Harry mentally kicked himself for praising the Slytherin. '_Deep down, you're a decent guy,'_ he had told Draco. He knelt down in front of him. Oh, _God,_ he even sat on Draco's bed! Harry put his forehead in his hands as he cringed at last night's actions. _It was the Firewhiskey, _Harry told himself. _It was the Firewhiskey who said all of those nice things to Draco; who treated him like a friend. Not me. _Deep down, however, Harry knew that he meant everything he had said.

He wanted nothing less than for others to find out about this. He knew that many of his friends – including Ron – were not easy to give up a grudge. The communal resentment against Draco was not easily forgotten by some, regardless if he had changed his ways. If everyone found out about Harry's apparent friendship with him, he knew they wouldn't be too happy about this. They couldn't find out. He abruptly stood up, and forced the memories of last night away. He simply wasn't going to think about last night's occurrences; nope. He was going to keep it all to himself. That way, no one would ever find out. But… Oh, _God!_ Draco would clearly remember everything that happened. Harry wondered how many Slytherins he'd already told about Harry's antics of the previous night. He cursed to himself to think that as soon as he left the safety of the Gryffindor common room, he'd be faced with an unruly crowd of Slytherins, ready to laugh at him and tease him for his overly friendly actions towards Draco.

"Harry, are you alright? You're as pale as a sheet," Ron said, interrupting Harry's thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry lied as he pushed past Ron towards his robes, eager to avoid confrontation about last night. Ron, however, seemed keen to get the truth out of Harry.

"So, what happened last night, then?" Ron said in a casual tone, leaning lazily against Harry's bed frame. "Why were you back so late?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary happened," Harry said untruthfully as he changed into his robes. "Malfoy and I started our project. We lost track of time."

"You were gone a bloody long time. Honestly, Harry, do you expect me to believe you were just 'working'? Was Malfoy being a prat to you?" Harry glared at Ron in an attempt to get him to stop talking. The attempt, however, was unsuccessful as Ron continued eagerly. "He _was_ being a prat to you, wasn't he? Harry, I swear to you, the next time I see him, I'm gonna…"

"He was _not_ being a prat, okay?" Harry snapped. Ron looked rather taken aback, so Harry gave him an apologetic look. "Actually, he was alright. We got a bit off topic, and before I knew it, it was late."

"Ah, well. At least he wasn't too bad to you," Ron said, straightening up and walking over to his own bed. "I'll meet you in the common room and we'll go down to breakfast together." With that, Ron took off down the stairs leading out of the dorm, and left Harry alone.

As soon as Harry had got changed, he made his way into the common room. Ron and Hermione sat opposite one another in two armchairs. "Harry!" Hermione said happily as she saw him approaching her. "How was last night?"

"Yeah, not too bad. Breakfast?" Harry said quickly, eager to change the subject. Ron and Hermione nodded, standing up, and the trio made their way to the Great Hall. Luckily, no one else brought up last night, so Harry could clear his mind a little. They walked past a couple of Slytherins, and they didn't seem to laugh or giggle, so maybe Draco hadn't told as many people as Harry had initially expected. The trio entered the Great Hall and took a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table. Harry tried to keep his gaze away from the Slytherin table, but, after a few minutes, curiosity got the better of him, and he glanced over. His eyes scanned the table looking for any sign of the blonde, but he was not to be seen. Harry saw the rest of the Slytherin seventh-years, but Draco was not among them. However, he wasn't really surprised by this. Lately, Harry noticed that Draco spent most of his time alone.

"Hey, Hermione?" Harry said, interrupting her conversation with Ron.

"Yes?" Hermione replied.

"What are my lessons today?" he asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Harry, this is _your _timetable! You should know when your subjects…"

"I know, I'm unorganised, but this morning I was…" _Worrying that Draco had told the whole school of my over-friendly attitude last night, _Harry wanted to say, but he knew he couldn't tell them. Not yet. "I was rushing around as I woke up late. I forgot to pack my timetable. I'm sorry." Harry looked at Hermione apologetically and she rolled her eyes. She dug into her bag and pulled out a piece of parchment, handing it to Harry. He unrolled it to reveal a timetable of all seventh year subjects. Harry scanned down Tuesday to find he had herbology, charms and… potions again. _Great, _Harry thought to himself sarcastically. _I have to spend the whole of last period with Draco. _He rapidly shovelled down the remainder of his food, and stood to rush to his morning class, Hermione and Ron in quick pursuit.

Harry spent the entire morning worrying about potions that afternoon, and facing Draco. There was nothing he wanted less than to talk to the Slytherin regarding last night, and Harry was sure that the Slytherins in his class would know about it. He inwardly cringed to think about all of the teasing he would be put through. Harry could tell that Hermione and Ron sensed there was upset in him, but both decided it was better not to ask Harry about it at all. Harry was glad, and grateful to have them as his friends. Soon, the time had come, and the trio made their way to the potions classroom in the dungeons. Harry was silent the whole journey there. As he stepped into the class, his eyes automatically scanned the room for Draco, and found him in his usual seat amongst the other Slytherins. However, none seemed to be laughing at Harry or looking at him strangely. He was sure that if they knew, they would tease him, so it was likely that they didn't know at all. _But wait, _Harry thought to himself._ That means Draco didn't tell anyone at all… _Thinking back, Harry wasn't sure why he was so convinced that Draco would tell someone. He never really entertained the possibility that Draco would keep it to himself. He remembered the way Draco had acted last night, and the kind attitude he had portrayed. Maybe he _had_ changed for good. Maybe he knew Harry wouldn't want anyone to know, and for that reason kept it to himself. Maybe…

"Harry, m'boy!" Slughorn interrupted Harry's train of thought. He snapped back into real life immediately, and realised that he was still standing in the door way. "Take a seat," Slughorn said, gesturing towards an empty seat at the back of the classroom. Harry blushed as he made his way to the back of the room and threw himself into the seat.

"You'll be working on your projects today – with your partners of course," Slughorn explained. "You have this lesson and the next, and after that I'll expect your projects to be completed. You may work as hard as you like in your free time to get them finished. Right, class, you can begin working now." At this, many people shuffled around the classroom to be next to their assigned partner. Harry glanced at Draco, who was looking directly back at him. Harry nudged his head to the side, indicating Draco to take a seat next to him. The blonde packed up his books and walked over to Harry. "Feeling alright today?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Harry replied.

"Well, you did consume a hell of a lot of Firewhiskey yesterday," Draco said softly so that no one else could hear them.

"Yeah, about that," Harry said in a hushed tone, leaning in towards Draco so that the conversation was kept private. "Did you tell anyone?"

"Does it look like I told anyone?" Draco said quietly, a surprised yet somewhat hurt tone in his voice. "If people knew that the boy who saved the wizarding world had drunk three bottles of Firewhiskey last night, I doubt the class would look as dull as they do now." Harry had to admit, he did feel bad about thinking Draco would betray his trust. He had completely dismissed the previous night's opinions as drunken thoughts that were not real. However, sitting with Draco now, Harry almost felt comfortable with him. He didn't feel awkward or embarrassed. He felt exactly the same as he did last night – minus the Firewhiskey in his system. He was beginning to look at Draco as a new friend rather than an old rival.

"So, shall we get started on this project then, Potter?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, sure," Harry said, digging out his potions book from his bag. "Wiggenweld Potion..." he muttered as he flicked to the correct page in his book.

"I was thinking, maybe you could start with the written work whilst I start to make a batch. That sound alright?" Draco asked, already digging out his cauldron.

"Yeah, perfect," Harry said, now beginning to transcribe passages of text in his textbook onto his parchment.

The lesson rushed by, and before Harry knew it, the class was being shooed out of the door by Slughorn. Draco had already successfully done the first part of the potion; he now had to leave it to brew for 24 hours. Harry had made a lot of notes. He reckoned with a couple more hours work, he could have them completed. As they left the classroom, Harry turned to Draco. "I think we should work on it tonight. Do some notes, I mean," he said.

"Alright. Slytherin again?" Draco asked. Harry cringed to think of it. He was in no rush to be going back there any time soon.

"Actually, I was thinking we could do it in Gryffindor this time?" Harry asked hopefully. Draco looked unsure.

"Yeah, because no Gryffindors have a grudge against me, do they?" he said sarcastically.

"Come on, Draco. We're not _that _bad," Harry said.

"I am not going there, okay? Why don't we meet in the library?" he said. Harry sighed to himself in relief. _Finally, a perfect compromise. _

"After dinner again?" Harry suggested.

"See you there," Draco said as they both went their separate ways out of the Potions classroom.

Harry sat miserably at the dinner table as Ron and Hermione gazed at each other lovingly. He was growing sick of their long and meaningful glances, and the way they strolled happily through the castle, hand-in-hand. Yes, Harry was happy for them. Of course he was. But some small part inside of him was thriving in jealousy, as they were so in love and Harry was not. Even when he loved Ginny, he didn't feel as in love as Ron and Hermione were. They were perfect for each other. They were like two pieces of a puzzle. Harry wanted someone who _he _could be like that with. A soul-mate. It was childish, to get in a strop over such a silly thing. But Harry had had enough of keeping his jealousy at bay, and suddenly he found himself overflowing with it. Sure enough, the jealousy was pushing him into a terrible mood.

"I've got to go, guys. See you later," Harry called as he abruptly stood up and walked away.

"Okay. See you, mate," Ron called after him. Harry didn't even respond. He was bursting with anger. He felt like nothing could stop his bad mood.

Harry stomped his way over to the library. Entering, he didn't seem to see Draco. He walked past the little tables, eyes scanning for the blonde, but he wasn't in sight. Finally, right at the back of the library, he spotted Draco sitting alone on a table tucked in the corner. Without saying a word, he stormed up behind Draco and slammed his books next to him. He dragged out the chair next to the Slytherin and collapsed angrily onto it. He glanced up to see that Draco was looking at him sceptically.

"Well? What is it?" Harry asked, his anger apparent in his words.

"Did someone get out of the wrong side of the bed this evening?" Draco asked scornfully.

"Piss off, Malfoy," Harry said, before he realised just how childish he really was being. He put his head in his hands, his anger suddenly turning into misery. "I'm just sick of…" Harry said, before he decided to stop himself. Draco didn't need to know about his piteous love life.

"Sick of what?" Draco asked curiously.

"Nothing. It's fine," Harry said evasively, eager not to tell Draco the truth.

"Well, clearly it's not fine. Tell me," Draco said.

"No, Malfoy. You don't even care, so stop asking me," Harry snapped suddenly. He inwardly kicked himself for saying these harsh words to Draco. Silence came between them, and Harry felt bad for being the one to cause it. Finally, Draco spoke out.

"That's the thing, Potter. No one thinks I care. Everyone thinks I'm the nasty Slytherin; the boy who teases others and goes along life without a care in the world. Did it never occur to you that that was just an image? Did you never think I had cared? Because _of course_ I did. But no one ever sees that." He stopped talking, sighed, and looked down, his face not revealing any emotions as it did last night. Harry was a little stunned by his words. They had been spoken with tones of anger, regret and sadness in them. Harry had never heard Draco say anything so emotional before. He felt regret for snapping at him, and wanted nothing more than to beg for his forgiveness.

"I shouldn't have said that," Harry said softly. "I'm sorry, Draco." Harry inwardly cringed again as he realised he had refrained from using Draco's surname once more. However, Draco now looked up so his eyes met Harry's. They looked full of fury, upset, surprise, and longing. Longing for what, Harry could not work out, but it was apparent all over his face. It was desperation; like he needed something that he could not have. As they sat there next to one another, eyes locked, Harry felt something snap in him. It was like he had finally realised the answer to all of his problems was staring him in the face – quite literally. Harry thought about how Draco looked, sat there with the feeble light from the candles gently caressing his face; falling perfectly on his messy but somewhat faultless hair. He looked into the grey eyes of the boy, and finally began to realise how perfect they were. He had never really noticed before, but Draco did have lovely eyes. They were big, and Harry could see the overwhelming emotion in them. They made him want to fall to the floor and beg for forgiveness; to be forgiven of all the hurt he had ever caused him. Harry looked at Draco's flawlessly pale skin, and realised just how perfectly everything on his face fitted together. He really was a thing of beauty, and Harry was shocked he had never realised it before. He had never even considered it. But now, it was clearly apparent, and Harry doubted he would ever go back to seeing Draco the way he did before. This was a completely new Draco in front of him; a nicer, funnier, friendlier, more beautiful one.

"Harry…?" Draco said unsurely, with a hint of amusement, snapping the boy out of his reverie. "You're staring at me…" _Oh, god, what the bloody hell was I thinking?_ Harry thought to himself.

"I… I need to go," Harry said abruptly, as he sharply stood and gathered his books together. He pushed his chair back in as he rushed away from Draco.

"Potter? Where are you going?" Draco asked in a confused tone.

"See you tomorrow," Harry said as he rushed out of the library.

"Do keep your voices down next time," Madam Pince called after Harry as he practically ran out of the library, but he couldn't care less about her right now. _Why was I thinking that? I thought of Draco as beautiful… Does that mean I'm gay? Oh, god, I'm such an idiot. I must have been delirious to think of him as beautiful… _Harry stopped his train of thought as an image of Draco ran into his mind; the perfectly messy hair; the candlelit face; the deep grey eyes. Harry momentarily lapsed, and his heart skipped a beat as this image formed. _Oh, god, Harry, stop! _he told himself as he paced eagerly back to the Gryffindor common room. But however much he denied it to himself, the truth was evident. He refused to acknowledge it, yet it was right in front of him.

Harry Potter was falling in love with Draco Malfoy.

**A/N: **Ooh, a bit of a cliffhanger there! So from now on, everything should start to get a little more lively. I wanted to tell you all that a twitter follower of mine passed away this week. Her name was Ashley. She was a true, dedicated HP fan. I wanted to tell you all so that you could know about her. Potterheads are a family, and – regardless of whether or not we know them all – we love them dearly. So please always remember Ashely. Keep her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. Anyway, next chapter should be up soon! Please review, I love to know what you think :)

~L~


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hello again, guys! Sorry for the bit of a delay. I have been busy working! To make up for it, I've made this chapter especially good. You'll know what I mean when you get to the end *wink wink* Anyway, thank you all for your wonderful reviews, I really enjoyed reading them. You're all so awesome ^_^ Anyway, as promised, here is chapter three!

~L~

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Harry Potter, and I highly doubt that I ever will *sighs and looks meaningfully into the distance*

Harry didn't get much sleep that night. His revelation had caused him some distress, and he found it difficult to simply drift off to sleep when his head was teeming with so many thoughts and emotions. One half of him was in denial. It kept on telling him that he had no feelings for Draco, and whatever he felt earlier was merely a trick of the mind. Not long ago, he didn't even like Draco, let alone love him. It was just a silly thought of the moment, and nothing would come of it. However, the other half of Harry was completely and utterly smitten. Whenever an image of the Slytherin made its way into the boy's mind, he found himself smiling. He thought of the way Draco had looked at him in the library; the emotion in his eyes. Harry wanted to cure all of the hurt in him. He wanted to hold him, and tell him it would all be alright. He smiled at the thought of Draco being so close to him. But before these thoughts could develop any further, the part of him that denied any feelings would tell him to snap out of it.

The next morning, Harry was awoken out of his feeble sleep by Ron.

"It's nearly breakfast time. You coming down?" he asked. Harry nodded as he slowly got out of bed and began to change into his robes. Ron, who was already dressed, sat on his own bed as he waited for Harry.

"Look, mate. I know you were angry at something last night. Was it something I did? If it was, I'm sorry, and–"

"Don't worry about it," Harry interrupted. "It was just an… eventful evening. I was tired. You didn't do anything wrong." Harry pulled on his trousers as he spoke. He wished that Ron wouldn't bring up anything to do with Draco. After all of his thoughts about the boy last night, he wanted to clear his mind this morning. After a few moments silence, however, Ron did exactly what Harry wished him not to.

"So, how's the project going? You weren't at the library very long."

"Yes, fine, thanks," Harry said quickly before Ron mentioned Draco specifically. "How's yours going?"

"Yeah, not too bad. Seamus is working hard at the potion, but he's already failed at it once. I'm doing all the written stuff. We decided it was better that way. I'm not complaining; I was never _that _good at potion making. I mean, good enough to pass my OWLs–"

"Shall we get going?" Harry said as he finished getting dressed. Ron followed him out of the dorm, and they were greeted by Hermione at the bottom of the stairs.

"Harry! How are you? You ran off so quickly last night," she said as they began to make their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"I'm fine, thanks. I had a lot of work to do; you know…" Harry said, his voice trailing off towards the end. He was careful not to mention the Slytherin's name.

"I know exactly how you feel, Harry. I've been doing a lot of the potion already; I should have it finished by tomorrow. But Pansy's only written half of the required information! She told me that she'll finish it tonight, but I'm not sure."

They spent the remainder of their walk to breakfast talking about their projects. Harry didn't bring up Draco, and neither did Ron or Hermione, which he was grateful for. At breakfast, Harry purposefully placed himself in perfect view of the Slytherin table. He looked all over for Draco, but he wasn't to be seen. _That's odd, _Harry thought._ He hasn't been at breakfast for two days running now... _Come to think of it, he couldn't remember seeing Draco at breakfast this whole year. He wasn't exactly looking back then, but regardless, he hadn't come into contact with the blonde. A wave of worry swept over Harry, as he wondered for what reason Draco didn't attend these meals.

They ate their breakfast and as they made their way to the first lesson, Harry was keen to avoid Draco. There was nothing he wanted less than to see the boy, and have to explain the reasoning behind his dramatic runaway the previous night. Still, he knew he had to see Draco before the end of the day to discuss the project. They didn't have potions that day, and the project was due in tomorrow. He needed to work hard to get it done, and he was sure that Draco would be eager to get it completed too. Harry didn't have any more lessons with Draco that day, so he didn't know when he'd come into contact with him. He hoped Draco would make an effort to find him, so that Harry wouldn't have to go out of his way.

The first lessons went by smoothly, and it gave Harry a much-needed chance to take his mind off of Draco. After lunch, Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room. He had almost completely forgotten about the Slytherin, until a first-year shyly came over to him and handed him a note. Harry opened it, to see that it was from Draco.

'_Potter, _

_We need to get this project done tonight. Slughorn's let me use the classroom this evening so I can finish the potion. Meet me here after dinner. _

_Malfoy.' _

Well, at least that sorted the timing out, and it saved Harry from seeing Draco face-to-face until later. He scribbled a brief reply note saying he'd be there, and gave it back to the timid first-year. Now, all Harry had to do was wait.

The next lesson edged by, and slowly but surely, dinner-time came. Beforehand, Harry stood in front of the mirror, attempting to comb his wild hair. Realising what he was doing, he stopped and sat atop his bed, his head in his hands. _Stop it, _he told himself. _There's no point in trying to make an impression on Draco. _He went to dinner with Ron and Hermione. They sat down together, Harry once again making an effort to sit facing the Slytherin table. He looked all over for Draco, and then he found him, sitting alone on the end. It was the first time he had laid his eyes upon Draco since last night's revelations, and – Harry had to admit – he looked incredible. There was a laid-back attitude that surrounded him, and just made him so much more attractive. His messy hair only added to this attitude, and the glum look on his face really did make him look like he didn't care. But last night, Draco had suggested to him that he really did care; that it was all just a front. Harry was filled with compassion. He really did feel sorry for him.

As people piled out of the Great Hall, Harry decided he better eat quickly, or Draco would leave without him. He shovelled his food down, and, as he saw the blonde leaving, he told Ron and Hermione where he was going. He stood up and quickly paced after the Slytherin, but he was too far ahead. Harry wasn't sure why he wanted to walk with Draco. Maybe he seeing him across the Great Hall reinforced the need to be close to him. Maybe he craved conversation with him. Maybe he simply didn't feel like walking alone. Either way, Harry wasn't going to catch up with him at this speed. As Draco neared the end of the corridor, Harry decided to shout out. "Draco!" Harry called, and the blonde stopped walking. He turned to face Harry, a confused look on his face. "What is it?" Harry called out as he sped towards the other boy.

"Nothing, just… Draco?" he asked, and Harry realised – for the third time – he had used his first name. It was completely unintentional, and Harry mentally scolded himself for showing his affection.

"Sorry. I meant Malfoy," Harry said as he began to walk aside Draco. He decided to change the subject. "So, how far are you with the potion?"

"Almost done. I had to leave it to brew, and I just have a couple more ingredients to add. How is the written work getting on?" he asked Harry.

"I'm about half way through," Harry replied truthfully. "A couple more hours and it'll be finished.

"Well, you would have got further if it wasn't for your little turn yesterday," Draco said, a hint of humour in his voice. _Oh, God, _Harry thought._ I completely forgot about that! How am I supposed to explain it?! _"What was that a about anyway?" Draco continued.

"I… Erm… I remembered that I had some other work to do. Transfiguration. Pretty urgent stuff, due in for today. I'm really sorry. I should have said," Harry improvised. Luckily, Draco seemed to buy it.

"Well, don't expect me to help you finish the written work tomorrow. How much have you got left?" the blonde asked.

"Just a bit. A couple of hours tonight and the lesson tomorrow and I'll be done. How are you getting on with the potion?" Harry asked.

"Almost finished. If it's brewed properly, I should get it finished in under an hour," Draco explained.

"And then you can help me?" Harry suggested, eager for his work load to be lifted.

"If you're lucky," Draco teased.

They made their way to the potions classroom, conversation flowing easily. Harry was happy that he and Draco were getting on so well. Whether it was their joking, chatting, or just being close to Draco, Harry didn't know, but one thing was for certain – this was the happiest he had been in a long time. The more time he spent talking to Draco, the smaller the voice denying Harry's feelings got, and the smitten part of him got bigger and bigger. Draco located his potion and carried on brewing it, whilst Harry sat on a nearby table and carried on writing. There was silence as both concentrated hard on their work, but it wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable silence, like no conversation had to be forced; nothing needed to be said. Harry realised just how rare a silence like this was, and just how close they had to be to obtain it. It was strange that in only the few days that he had spent with Draco, they had grown so close.

"Harry?" Draco's voice interrupted his thoughts. Harry's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly realised that he had been called by his first name by Draco for the first time. He glanced up at the other boy. He continued work on the potion, concentrating hard, as if he hadn't even called him that on purpose. It was what came to him naturally. Harry couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Is everything okay?" he replied.

"Yes, it's going well, actually, but I need another pair of hands for this bit," he said. Harry stood and approached Draco.

"I need to add some shredded dittany, but it needs to be stirred at the same time. It is possible to do with one person, but it's easier if–"

"It's fine," Harry said, picking up a rod next to the cauldron and beginning to stir the potion. He watched as Draco carefully let the dittany fall from his hand, and they softly stroked the surface of the green-coloured potion.

"Now, quickly, you have to drop the rod and step back," Draco said. Harry looked at him in alarm.

"Why? What's going to happen?" Harry asked, still stirring the potion.

"Don't ask why, just do it!" Draco said, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"But–" Harry began, but it was too late. As the tiny pieces of dittany sunk to the bottom of the potion, there was a loud bang and a cloud of grey smoke erupted into the air. Harry dropped the rod and stepped back, but he knew it was too late. He looked at Draco with confusion and anger apparent on his face, but Draco seemed to find it less serious. A smile broke onto his face, and before Harry knew it, the Slytherin was breaking down in laughter. Even though he was angry with him, Harry had to admit that it was nice to see him laughing like this. He'd never seen him this happy before; not real happiness, anyway. Harry knew that the happiness was at his expense, but something told him it was worth it to see Draco with a true smile.

"I'm sorry," Draco said, straightening up as his laughter died down. "But… You should see your face right now!" Harry ran a finger down his own cheek, and saw that it was covered in a thick, black powder.

"Damn it," he muttered as he reached in his pocket to pull out his handkerchief.

"Let me," Draco said firmly as he reached forwards and brushed the powder off of his cheek. Harry stiffened at the intimacy of such a gesture. He was so close. He had never been this close to him before, but it felt somewhat… _right._ Draco stopped moving his hand as he too realised just how intimate he had been. But, instead of taking his hand away, he let it linger on Harry's cheek. Nothing had ever felt so perfect for Harry. In that moment, all doubts he had about Draco had been obliterated. Every other emotion inside him had been overwhelmed with a sense of belonging. Here, this close to Draco, was where he should be, and none of his silly little worries mattered any more. He looked down at Draco's perfect lips, and thought just how easy it would be to close the space between them. He began to lean forwards, already imagining the sensation of the boy's lips upon his, how it would feel when he–

"I have to go," Draco said suddenly, his voice almost a whisper, as he pulled away and turned to pace out of the room. _Damn, _Harry thought to himself. _I scared him off. I shouldn't have been so forward. _He put his head in his hands, and wiped off as much of the black dust as he could. He felt regret for leaning in to kiss Draco, but it just seemed so right. It seemed like it should be. And Draco couldn't deny that he had felt something too. If he hadn't he would have pulled his hand away. Without properly thinking, Harry sprinted out of the classroom to see him almost at the end of the corridor.

"Draco!" Harry called, acting on impulse. The boy stopped and turned to face him. Harry began to pace towards him. Everything in him told him to turn around; to stop this. But nothing inside of him could change his mind now. Draco was getting nearer. The voices telling him to stop were screaming louder than ever. But the Slytherin was so close – almost close enough to touch. He wanted to touch him; to hold him; to embrace him. Nothing else seemed to matter now. Harry paced forwards so that they were face to face once more. Draco looked at him with doubt in his eyes, but behind the doubt, Harry could sense a burning passion, alike the passion he felt himself. And, without another hesitation, he grasped either side of his head and plunged his lips upon Draco's.

Draco stood rigid against Harry for a moment – with shock, Harry presumed – but after a couple of seconds, he softened, and lifted a hand to the back of Harry's head. Draco's lips were soft as they caressed Harry's. He could feel Draco's hand running through his hair, and it felt incredible. He let his own hands gently stroke the side of the boy's face. It was a gentle kiss, and nothing was forced, but it laced with the heat of desire. He closed his eyes in an attempt to savour the perfection of the moment. Suddenly, the significance of everything came to Harry. He was kissing Draco – actually, physically kissing him – and, to make things even more momentous, Draco was kissing him _back._ Never in his wildest daydreams did he think he would be in this situation, and never did he expect it would feel this good! His whole body was rejoicing. He had never felt so happy to be this close to anyone before, let alone Draco Malfoy.

Suddenly, he pulled away. Draco jolted back too, keeping his hand in Harry's messy hair. He gave him a look of confusion, as if to say '_Why did you pull away?_' Harry just stood for a moment, taking in the enormity of what he had just realised. All of the feelings in his head were so messed up before; he could barely make sense of them. But this kiss; this one kiss had suddenly laid his feelings out for him. He immediately knew how he felt, and it terrified him. That's why he pulled away. He could no longer deny his feelings, and that honestly horrified him. "I… I have to go," Harry said quickly as he practically ran away from Draco. _You can't run away from your feelings, _a voice inside of Harry's head told him, but he pushed it away as he made his way to the Gryffindor common room as quickly as possible. He blurted out the password as he approached the portrait and subsequently ran into the common room, realising that he was out of breath. Sitting directly in front of him was three people he didn't particularly want to see – Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

"You alright?" Ron asked, standing up and walking over to greet his friend.

"You've got soot on your face," Hermione said. She picked up her wand and, in a wave, the dust had gone.

"Thanks," Harry mumbled feebly.

"Have you been running?" Ginny asked. "You look tired out. Come and sit next to me." She moved up an inch on the sofa, leaving Harry space to ait next to her.

"You know what? I didn't get the best sleep last night. I think I'm gonna go and get some rest," Harry said, and before anyone could answer, he had turned to go upstairs. Once he had reached his bed, he collapsed on top of it, burying his head into his pillow. He should be happy that he had kissed Draco. The kiss had honestly felt amazing, and he should be glad about that. But the thought that made him abandon the kiss came back into his head, and filled him with fear as it did before. He couldn't deny it any more. He couldn't come up with any more excuses. He knew he was falling in love with Draco Malfoy, and that terrified him.

**A/N: **Ooh, it's all heating up! Any emotions in Harry that aren't completely clear should be properly explained in the next chapter. Looks like Harry's completely forgot about the project and left everything in the potions classroom! How will that affect tomorrow's potions lesson? How will the next chapter's events unfold? I should be uploading it soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing, guys. I love and appreciate you all!

~L~


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